Excavating machine



Nov. 29, 1932.

H. C. BECKWITH EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 27, 1929 INVENTOR. Jfenry C(Bewfizuzfi A TTORNEYS,

Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE,

HENRY C'. BECKWITH, F RAVENNA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BYERS MACHINE COMPANY, OF RAVEN NA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND 1 EXCAVAT'ING MACHINE Application filed September 27, 1929. serial No. 395,537.

The present application relates, as indicated, to excavating machines, and has more particular reference to a tractive machine adapted for supporting and operating ex- 5. cavating attachments of the various types such as instrok-e shovels, outstroke shovels, Skimmers, clam shell buckets, and back fillers. The application has been drawn primarily with reference to a novel instroke type of shovel adapted to be used with the said machine. The present invention has as one of its major objects the provision of a machine of the class described which shall be highly adaptable to the operation of anyone of the types of excavating mechanisms above described; and as another of its major ob jects, the provision of a novel and unusually efiicient instroke shovel. Further objects will appear as the description proceeds. To the accomplishment of the foregoing. and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. 7

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain'mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

- In said annexed drawing:

The single figure is a side elevation of a machine constructedin accordance with my invention and having attached thereto an instroke shovel constructed in accordance with m invention.

eferring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the machine comprises a table 1 rotatably mounted upon continuous treads 2, though it will be obvious thatthe same may be mounted upon road wheels or rail wheels, if desired. The table 1 carries a platform 3 upon which are mounted a motor- (not shown), and a pair of drums 4 and 5,, together with the necessary controls whereby the drums 4 and 5 and the treads 2 may be driven from the motor. The platform 3 ,carries the usual cab 6 housing the control mechanism.

- Secured to the front end of the platform 3 v is a mast comprising a vertical member;7, a

secured to the upper end of the member 7 and to the outer end of the member 8. The in- 5 clined member 9 projects beyond and below the member 8, and the projecting portion 10 of said member 9 is formed to provide a ivotal mounting, as at 11, for a boom 12. t is to be understood that the boom 12 shown in the drawing is intended primarily for use with the instroke shovel illustrated, but that it may be used with certain of the other attachments adapted to be mounted on the machine; or the boom 12 may be removed and booms of other types may be selectively pivgted at 11 to the projection 10 of the mem- A ditcher stick 13 is adapted to be pivoted to the boom 12 adjacent its outer end and, in the embodiment illustrated, this pivotal mounting is effected through a lug 14 carried at the outer end of the boom 12 and depending from the lower side of said boom, the upper end of the stick 13 being pivotally secured to said lug 14 by means of a pin 15.

To the free end of the stick 13 there is rigidly secured a bucket or shovel 17, the same comprising side members 18 and a member closing the outer or rear end of said= bucket, it being understood that the open end of the bucket faces the cab 6. Such open end of the bucket carries a plurality of digging teeth 19 substantially in the plane of the bottom of the bucket, and it also carries a pair' of side rake teeth 20 overhanging the sides 18 of the bucket. The bottom of the bucket 17 comprises a plate 21, the inner or forward end of which is pivoted at 22 to the plates 18, and it is to be noted that the side rake1i teeth 21 overhang and protect the pivots 22. The outer or rear end of the bottom plate 21 is provided with a hook 23 halved to cooperate with alatch 24 of usual construction, said latch bein operable by an arm 25 through a" link 26. I 5f course it is to be understood that the arm 25 is adapted tobe operated to. trip thelatch 24 by means of a cable or line extending to the cab 6. Such line has not-been shown in the drawing, since its use is very-L common, it has been thought unnecessary to complicate the drawing by the showing of unnecessary details.

A cable 27 has its one end wrapped about the drum 4 and extends from said drum over one side of a double sheave 28 mounted at the upper end of the mast. This single cable 27 is, in the embodiment shown, composed of a plurality of falls, the first of which 27a extends from the sheave 28 about a sheave 29 mounted in a block 30. From the sheave 29 a second fall 27?) extends to the second of the two sheaves 28, and the third fall 270 extends from said sheave 28 to the block 30 being an chored thereto at the point 31. aid block 30 is preferably provided with a stop lug 32 adapted to prevent the block 30 from approaching so close to the boom 12 as to cause chafing of the cable 27. The block 30 is secured to a flexible member which is shown in the drawing as a chain 33, and which extends over a sheave 34 mounted at the free end of the boom 12, and is secured at the point 35 to the outer side of the stick 13. It will be obvious that hauling upon the cable 27 will, in the absence of other forces, cause the stick 13 to be swung'in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in the drawing.

A cable 36 has its one end wrapped about the drum 5 and extends therefrom over a sheave 37 mounted on the mast. The cable 36 likewise comprises a plurality of falls, the first of which, 36a, extends from the sheave 37 to a sheave 39 mounted in a block 38 secured to the boom 12. From the sheave 39 the fall 36?) extends to and about a sheave 40 mounted in a block 41. The fall 360 extends from said sheave 41 to and about a sheave 42 carried in the block 38, and the fall 36d extends from said sheave 42 to the block 41 to which it is anchored at 43. The block 41 carries a bail 44 the free outer end of which is pivoted as at 45 to the stick 13. It will be obvious that hauling upon the cable 36 tends to swing the stick 13 in a clockwise direction as viewed in the drawing.

It will be obvious from the above that, if the cable 36 is held while the cable 27 is hauled in, the boom 12 will be elevated, and the stick 13 will be swung slightly in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in the figure. Likewise, if the cable 27 be held while the cable 36 is hauled in, the boom 12 will be very slightly elevated as the stick 13 is swung in a clockwise direction as viewed in the figure. If the cable 27 be held while the cable 36 is slacked off, the stick will swing quickly in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in the figure while the boom 12 will drop slowly; in other words, the two lines '27 and 36 provide means for performing all necessary manipulation of the stick in a sub-' 'stantially vertical plane. V

The particular 'advantages'of the present machineare that it is capable of dumping on a higher spoil bank than the machines now in use by reason of the considerably shorter bucket-carrying stick, and possesses a considerably easier operation. The bucket can be lowered or dropped into the trench under very much better control by the operator than in prior types of machines, because of the direct control of the bucket through the outhaul cable, which in either form is secured at a considerable distance from the axis of the stick. In prior machines of this general type the movements of the stick have been controlled by connecting to an extending upper end 'of thestick above the boom. The radius between this point of connection and the axis of the stick, however, is so short that a close and accurate control of the bucket was not always possible. In the present machine an extremely accurate control of the bucket is possible at all times because of themy invention may be employed instead of the H one explained, change being made as regardsthe mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform, a boom pivotally mounted thereon for rotation, a stick pivoted to said'boom, a shovel carried by said stick and a mast'stationarily mounted on said platform and comprising a vertical member, a horizontal member secured to the foot of said vertical member, and an inclinedmember secured to the upper end of said vertical member and to the outer end of said horizontal member and extending below the plane of said platform, said inclined member being formed to provide a pivotal mounting for said boom.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane, winding drums on said platform, a mast stationarily mounted. on said platform and comprising a vertical member, a horizontal member secured to the foot of said vertical member, and an inclined member secured to the upper end of said vertical member and extending below the outer end of said horizontal member, a boom pivoted to the lower end of said inclined member for swinging movements in a substantially vertical plane, a stick pivoted adjacent and below the free end of said boom, a shovel carried at the free end of said stick, flexible means extending from one of said'drums over a sheave on said mast and over a sheave at the free end of said boom and anchored to said stick, and flexible means extending from anoltzher of said drums and anchored to said stic 3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane, Winding drums on said platform, a mast stationarily mounted on said platform and comprising a vertical member, a horizontal member secured to the foot of said vertical member, and an inclined member secured to the upper end of said vertical member and to the outer end of said horizontal member, said inclined member projecting beyond and below said horizontal member, a boom pivoted to the projecting portion of said inclined member for swinging movements in a substantially vertical plane, a stick pivoted inward of and beneath the free end of said boom, a shovel carried at the free end of said stick, flexible means extending from one of said drums over a sheave on said mast and over a sheave at the free end of said boom and anchored to said stick, and flexible means extending from another of said drums and anchored to said stick.

4. In a ower operated instroke shovel, a

support, a orizontally movable platform pivoted thereon, a frame work secured to one side of said platform, said frame work including a horizontal element extending beyond said supporting element and an inclined element extending both above and below said horizontal platform, a boom pivoted to said frame below the plane of said platform for movement in a vertical plane, flexible means connecting the outer end of said boom with the upper end of said inclined member, a shovel stick pivoted below the outer end of said boom, said flexible means being passed movably over the end of said boom beyond the pivotal point of said shovel stick and connected to said stick, other flexible means adapted for opposition to said first named flexible means and connected to said stick, below said first-named means but above the shovel, said first named flexible means tending to pull said stick outwardly and said second named flexible means tending to pull said stick inwardly, and means on said horizontal platform for hauling, holding or slacking off either of said flexible means selectively.

Signed by me this 29th day of August, 1929.

HENRY C. BECKWITH. 

